Constellation: Coma Berenices

Distance: 32.6 Million Light Years

NGC 4565 is a large spiral galaxy viewed "edge on" due to its inclination of 86 degrees to our line of sight. Thin lanes of obscuring dust in its galactic plane are typical of large spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way. It displays a bright yellowish central bulge that juts out above the dust lanes. Its size (greater than 100,000 light years), mass (200 billion suns) and rotational velocity are markedly similar to our own Milky Way; the Milky Way would look very similar to NGC 4565 if we were able to view it from its side at a distance. NGC 4565's symmetry and grace cause sky enthusiasts to consider it a celestial masterpiece. First spotted in 1785 by Sir William Herschel, NGC 4565 is one of the larger and brighter objects missed in the Messier catalog.

(Some of this information from A Year in the Life of the Universe by Robert Gendler, and The 100 Best Astrophotography Targets by Ruben Kier).

Several other galaxies are seen in this image (see annotated image below).